The Intersections of Voting and Homelessness October 15, 2020 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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The Intersections of Voting and Homelessness

October 15, 2020 – Virtual IForum

Housekeeping

This event is being recorded, and will be made available in the weeks following the event on our website. There will be a Q&A portion at the end of the event.

• Please submit all questions into the chat box on the bottom

right hand corner of your screen - we will be monitoring and collecting your questions throughout the presentation.

Housekeeping

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Welcome and Introduction

Kiley Gosselin, Executive Director, Partnership for Strong Communities (@pschousing)

Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work

Angela Bellas, UConn School of Social Work PhD Candidate and Graduate Assistant

National Low Income Housing Coalition

Victoria Bourret, Housing Advocacy Field Organizer

Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness

Sarah Fox, Director of Advocacy & Community Impact

Audience Q & A

Danielle Hubley, Policy Analyst, Partnership for Strong Communities

Adjourn

Agenda

Nancy Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work

Angela Bellas UConn School of Social Work PhD Candidate and Graduate Assistant

Our Vision: An INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY that works for and responds to all individuals.

Who votes matters Representation matters Who is counted matters

Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work

The problem with voter turnout

Elected officials pay a attention to v voters

• 100 million eligible age voters stayed

home in 2016; 43% of the eligible electorate

• Turnout for state and local elections is far

lower

• Nonvoters are more likely to be lower

income, less educated, non-white, and unmarried; often ignored by campaigns

Knight Foundation: https://the100million.org/ The United States Election Project: http://www.electproject.org/

Structural barriers support the intentional myth that voting doesn’t matter

• Confusing and complicated rules, deadlines and

processes;

• Suppression tactics include:

– felony voting laws – strict voter id rules – purging voter lists – challenging student registrations – reducing poll locations – strict absentee rules – allegations of voter fraud, etc. – “Gerrymandering”

• 1. Social determinant of health. Individuals and communities

who vote are better off.

• 2. Human right. Systemic barriers, voter suppression, felony

disenfranchisement & gerrymandering designed by and for people in power

• 3. Empowerment practice. Voting is an act of power,

individually and collectively.

• 4. Policy change. “The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we

have.” John Lewis (February 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020)

Supporting people to vote connects to our mission and impact

Voting as a social work intervention

Supporting individuals to vote:

❑help people register ❑Provide information about how/when/where to vote ❑Connect to information about the candidates and who is on

the ballot

❑Provide encouragement that their vote matters

Organizations can:

❑Provide ongoing training, support and tools for staff ❑Build civic literacy and engagement into culture and services ❑Advocate for voting rights and access ❑Emphasize local and state elections and primaries

Long-term change with the urgency of now

• 10 days left! Encourage clients, friends, communities to participate in the 2020 census.
• Help people to vote in this election

❑ Check their registration and/or help them register ❑ Apply for absentee ballot ASAP ❑ Download copies of the ballots and/or link to candidate guides and forums ❑ Post and share instructions for absentee ballots ❑ Reminders to sign, date and seal their inner envelopes ❑ Information on official dropboxes ❑ Encouragement to vote, including individuals with a felony (who can vote after

parole ends)

• Shelters
• Health care settings
• Schools
• Clinics
• Shelters
• Libraries
• After school programs
• Day care
• Food pantries
• VAs

REGISTERED AT CURRENT ADDRESS

HOW, WHEN, WHERE to vote

Easy to find information on candidates and where they stand. Individuals who need accommodations are able to vote

Voting rights valued and enforced Encouragement to vote & participate in civic life

Social workers & Social Services

VotingIsSocialWork.org

Simple tools in

• ne place.

Tanya Rhodes Smith & Angela Bellas Nancy A Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work University of Connecticut School of Social Work Tanya.smith@uconn.edu Angela.bellas@uconn.edu For voting resources and information: go to www.VotingIsSocialWork.org www.VotingIsSocialWork.org

National Low Income Housing Coalition

Victoria Bourret Housing Advocacy Field Organizer

Become an Affiliate

• Become an Our Homes,

Our Votes Affiliate

• Free swag
• Access to templates
• Use of logo
• Guidance from NLIHC

staff

• Promote efforts

Long Term Policy Strategies

• Expand rental assistance
• Expand the supply of housing affordable to the lowest

income renters

• Preserve the limited affordable housing stock
• Create a new national program that provides temp. rent

assistance for unexpected shocks

Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness

Sarah Fox Director of Advocacy & Community Impact

What You Need To Know To Help Your Clients Vote

Thursday, October 15th, 2020 Sarah Fox, Director of Advocacy and Community Impact CT Coalition to End Homelessness

Guidance from the CT Secretary of State

https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Voter-Information/Homeless-Voter-Fact-Sheet

To register in Connecticut you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a resident of Connecticut and of the

town in which you wish to vote

• be 17 years old. 17 year olds who will turn

18 on or before Election Day, may participate in the general primary

• have completed confinement and parole if

previously convicted of a felony, and have had your voting rights restored by Registrars of Voters

Voter Eligibility

An individual is a resident if:

• There is some nexus to a given town;
• The individual intends to return when absent from that town. This could

be a town you slept in, spent time in, etc.

Residency Requirements

A mailing address is some place where you are able to receive mail and a physical address is where you are located.

• You vote by the location of your

physical address.

• A registration confirmation letter will

be sent to your mailing address.

What is the difference between my physical and mailing address?

Photo Identification is not required. For most voters, your identification must fit one of the following requirements for it to be accepted as a valid form of ID at the polls: name and address, or name and signature, or, name and photograph However, for voters who are voting for the first time in a municipality, and lacked proper identification when registering, some additional types of identification may be required. Contact your local registrar of voters’ office or visit myvote.ct.gov, for more information on ID requirements.

Voter Identification Requirements

Option 1:

Voter Registration

• If you have a CT DMV ID:
• Register Online
• https://voterregistration.ct.gov/OL

VR/welcome.do Option 2:

• If you DO NOT:
• Complete a paper registration

card and deliver it to your local Registrar of Voters before registration deadline

• CT has Election Day Registration

Available

Remind people to look up their registration status to find:

• Polling location
• Party affiliation (if applicable)
• Absentee ballot status (once

mailed)

• Scan the QR Code on the next

slide to register

Voter Registration

• Use the Secretary of State's online locator to find your local polling place. If you

are working with someone who has recently been housed and has relocated to another town, they will need to re-register in their new town.

• Connecticut polling places are open from 6 am to 8 pm on Election Day

(November 3, 2020). Any voter standing in line at the polls at 8 pm will be allowed to cast a ballot.

Know Where to Vote

• Election Day voter registration is available in town halls in your client’s town of

residence.

• Clients are eligible for same day voter registration if they meet the the eligibility

requirements for voting and have not yet registered, OR you are registered in a different town from where you currently reside and wish to change it.

• Contact your local registrar of voter’s office for more information

Election Day Voter Registration

ALL VOTERS are eligible to vote by absentee ballot in the November 2020 general election because of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Only complete absentee ballots received before the close of polls on

election day will be counted

• State Officials recommend bringing your absentee ballot to an official

dropbox to avoid mailing delays

Tell Clients About Expansion of Absentee Ballots

• Toll-Free CT: (800) 842-7303
• Telephone: (860) 297-4300

Disability Assistance

• Videophone: (860) 509-4992
• Email: Info@DisRightsCT.org

If you or someone you are working with is living with a disability and needs assistance registering to vote or getting to the polls, please contact:

• Disability Rights Connecticut:

Thank you!

Sarah Fox, sfox@cceh.org www.cceh.org

Audience Question & Answer

Please submit all questions into the chat box on the bottom right hand corner of your screen

Important Voting Deadlines

October 27th

• Deadline to register to vote – 11:59 P.M. online; close of business at DMV offices; postmarked by this date if

done by mail; or by 8 p.m. if down in person at town halls, where offices must remain open until that time.

November 2nd

• Last day to request absentee ballots. But if you request it by mail or receive it in person, you will miss the

deadline.

November 3rd

• Election Day – Polls open 6 A.M. to 8 P.M. Election Day registration is available in town halls; voters must be in

the town hall office by 8 P.M. Delivery deadline for absentee ballots (not postmark) is 8 P.M., either by mail or in drop boxes, typically at town halls. Vote tallies for in-person balloting are due to the state by midnight.

Thank you!